Customer reviews are an important part of a business that entrepreneurs need to look at. When you hear someone mention ‘customer reviews,’ you probably think about the comments and product ratings on websites and the surveys that customers conduct in-store. But customer reviews are just more than people giving their opinions on certain products; it can be used as a means to make your products better so that more people buy them. Hence, retail brands are looking for ways to use this valuable content to generate revenue. 

 

Bringing customer reviews in-store eliminates doubt in shoppers

Easily accessible reviews make it easier for customers to find the information they want and make purchasing decisions effectively.

Plus, when you bring reviews into your store, you take one more step towards amalgamating the convenience of online shopping with the experience of shopping in-store, combining the best of both worlds instead of forcing one to compete against the other.

The days of one-sided push marketing are over, and physical stores need to reflect that shift and find innovative ways to give customers what they’re looking for. Also for those businesses that don’t have an online platform, in-store surveys can help give other people insight into your products and convince them of buying your merchandise. You can make your products more accessible and of better quality once you know what your customers truly feel about your products. 

Above all, don’t be afraid to get creative. Customers are looking for social proof, so any way you can bring that proof into your store is worth testing.

Curate store inventory based on customer ratings and popularity

If your brand exists in both the ecommerce and in the brick-and-mortar realm, customer reviews can be an invaluable signal to help you decide which products to stock in your physical store. Leaning on customer ratings makes it easier to find the products that will yield the best returns in-store, and stocking only products with a certain minimum rating helps customers develop a baseline level of trust in the products they find in your store.You have to have customer reviews before you can bring them into the physical retail world. Encouraging customers to leave the right kind of review, ones that help others gather the information they actually want to make a decision, is key.

Make customer reviews accessible to your audience

Take a step back and consider your audience before you decide how to best leverage customer reviews in store. Are your customers young tech natives? If so, a QR code that can be scanned with their smartphone will probably work well. If you’re serving a less tech-savvy crowd, you might be better off including customer reviews on in-store displays or even digital signage.

 

Choose the right reviews to showcase

Just like in the digital world, there’s a fine line between curating the reviews you show to customers and censoring them. The difference can often come down to your intent; is your ultimate goal to inform customers, helping them make the best decision for them? Also, take the time to consider the usefulness of the reviews you showcase in store. A review that says “Great product!” doesn’t tell customers very much. Look for more in-depth reviews that speak to the features that matter to your shoppers.